“The Lord is righteous in all His ways, and kind in all His works.”

Good morning, ACF! What a beautiful verse to start our day off today with! “The Lord is righteous in all His ways, and kind in all His works.” Praise God we can know confidently that is true! There are two important aspects of God that I see in this verse that are not true of so many false gods throughout history and set Him apart as the TRUE God, the only God worth our fidelity and worship. Of course, there are so many other reasons He is worthy of our praise, but for the sake of today’s devo, I want us to center our hearts on these two truths.

GOD IS RIGHTEOUS- What does that mean? It means that God does all things right. He is not able to sin, or to mess up. He doesn’t make mistakes or do things wrong. He isn’t mean or selfish. He doesn’t fail. He doesn’t do anything that is less than perfect. He is right, just, good, and pure. All His ways are righteous. He cannot be unrighteous.  

Why is that? Because God is the very definition of righteousness. Therefore, He would have to act in a way contrary to His very existence. The only reason we know what “right” or “righteous” is, is to gaze upon His existence. He is the standard, and He cannot change. He does not change. He is constant and true. We can always look to Him to know what is right. We can always measure against Him because righteousness is WHO HE IS!!!

GOD IS KIND- In His righteousness, He is also kind. His kindness flows from the fact that God is love. It’s not just something He feels or something He does- IT’S WHO HE IS! And from that perfect and eternal love flows kindness in all His works. He cannot act in a way that is not eternally and ultimately loving and kind. Sometimes we don’t understand His actions and from our limited perspective they may seem unkind or unloving. But that is a matter of perspective. When we view the ultimate truth of the Scriptures and look at God’s actions throughout history, we can clearly see how everything He does is for His glory and our good- even when it didn’t feel like it in the moment.

He is faithful to be kind to His children. He is faithful to be kind to those who call on His name. We can trust that about His character. He will never fail us, nor will He forget us. He is good, and He loves us more than we could ever imagine!

Many of us will go through seasons where we don’t understand what God is doing or why He is doing it. We may look at our circumstances and feel like God is neither righteous nor kind in that moment. That is a very normal, human experience. I’ve heard so many people say over the years that they look around at the world the way it is and struggle to see God’s righteousness and kindness.  

When studying for this verse, I was reminded of a movie that came out in 2011 called Soul Surfer. It is the retelling of the true story of Bethany Hamilton, a surfer in Hawaii who was attacked by a shark one day while surfing and lost her arm. She almost died from blood loss but made a miraculous recovery. As she grappled with her new situation, she asked her youth group leader why God would allow this to happen. Her leader told her she didn’t know why but she was certain that God had a plan for her good through all the difficulties.

Bethany’s story continues as she learns to live her life with only one hand. She adjusts and learns to do everyday things differently. And eventually, she gets back in the water to try to learn to surf without the use of her arm. She struggles to find the confidence and the courage to keep trying when it is hard. Eventually she goes on a mission trip and is changed by what she experiences as they help a community devastated by a tsunami. She returns to the States refreshed and with a greater perspective on her life.  

Through her courage to keep trying and get back to surfing, despite the immense difficulty of trying to dive under the waves and paddle out without the use of her second arm, people watching her are inspired. Letters start arriving from people all over the world who are touched by her story. And she starts to see that God is giving her a platform. She begins sharing the truth of God’s love, using her new fame to spread the gospel.  

In an interview with Fuel T.V., a reporter asks, “Bethany, I just wanted to ask you. If you could go back to that day, and not have gone surfing, would you do it?” To which she replied, “I wouldn’t change what happened to me, because then I wouldn’t have this chance. In front of all of you… this chance to embrace more people than I ever could have with two arms.”

See, God gave Bethany a HUGE perspective shift. What once seemed like God had forsaken her and allowed something to happen that was neither righteous nor kind, she realized was His way of giving her something she couldn’t have had before. He allowed something awful to happen to her. But He redeemed it for His glory and her good. Bethany has gone on to be one of this century’s most influential inspirations. She carries with her a message of hope, of perseverance, and most importantly, of God’s faithfulness and love.  

What a powerful story! And that is exactly how it works with God! When we get a better perspective and look at Him and His works from a more eternal viewpoint, we ALWAYS see that He is righteous and kind. We always see that He has our best in mind. We always see that He is so worthy of our praise and devotion. God is good. And if we find ourselves in a situation where that truth is hard to see, it just means we need a better perspective.

Jesus,  

Thank You that You are always good. Thank You that You always have my best in mind, and You never let something happen to me that is outside of Your control. What the enemy may have meant for evil, You always use for good! I trust You, and I thank You for Your kindness and Your righteousness.

Amen